Sharing the Music

Back in the days when I traveled from school to school teaching Music and Movement in the hcpss RECC Program, I spent a lot of time walking the hallways with my rolling cart of teaching materials. I passed a lot of people in the hallways. I made small talk with many folks in the Teachers Lounge. I learned where all the adult bathrooms were. I knew which vending machines took dollar bills if I were desperate for a Diet Coke and I didn’t have change.

It was all a part of the gig.

One of the people I got to know over those years was Ray Forton, the Vocal General Music Teacher at Bollman Bridge Elementary School. We had music in common, so it gave us something to talk about. I learned that, like most music teachers, he had a professional music life outside of school. He played ukulele. He taught ukulele. He even had a YouTube ukulele channel.

Ray Forton

At the time my husband had just started a ukulele club at his school as a response to student interest. It seemed as though suddenly, the world was waking up to ukuleles: relatively affordable, portable, accessible for beginners. And now they were cool. Even my teenaged daughter jumped on the bandwagon.

Since the ukulele craze shows no signs of abating, I thought I should let you know that Mr. Forton is now retired from HCPSS and has embarked on an all-ukulele career. (Well, guitar, too.) Should you want to learn how to play, he teaches lessons at all levels, both individual and in group settings. You can check out his Facebook page and his website. He teaches lessons both at his home in Catonsville and at Appalachian Bluegrass.

During those years when I was roaming many hallways without any particular “home” to hang my hat, Ray was always a kind and welcoming colleague in my wandering weeks. If you or a family member are thinking of taking up guitar or ukulele, give him a call. His number is on his website.

You’ll be the life of the party. You won’t need an amp, and no one will call the police on account of the racket.

Comments

Teacher Gifts

Today is the last day of school before the Winter Break. It’s a good time to remember the far-reaching nature of our public school system. You may not have children. You may have sent your children to independent schools. It matters not. You will be impacted one way or another. Yesterday I read a long thread on Facebook about several waves of illness in the schools right now. There’s influenza A and norovirus, I believe. And of course there’s COVID. Apparently in some individual schools the rate of illness is high enough for school admin to notify parents. When I was little the acceptable holiday gift for a teacher was one of those lovely floral handkerchief squares. (I don’t know what it was for male teachers. They were rare in my elementary years.) These days the range of teacher gifts is wider and I have fond memories of Target gift cards which I have written about before. I think it’s safe to say that giving one’s teacher Influenza, norovirus, or COVID is not the ideal holiday...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday. Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018. 2018 . But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest. In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

Separate and Unequal

Remember “Separate but equal”? Remember how that really meant that Black schools languished in broken-down buildings without adequate heat or toilet facilities, with cast-off, ragged learning materials, underfunded and largely ignored? The Supreme Court struck that down in 1954. The evidence was clear that separate was not equal. Plessy v Ferguson had led to - - no, endorsed - - deeply unequal schooling and opportunities. We tend to think of Brown v Board as being purely about racial integration. It was not. It was about the logical consequences of segregation. And they were not, not, not equal. The ruling in 1954 didn’t transform public education for non-whites into a land of milk and honey by any means. But it articulated some essential truths in a way that made including everyone a legal precedent which could be relied upon and built upon. It was better than what came before it but it rested upon unsteady ground. It did not necessarily change the hearts or minds ...

Village Green/Town²

Search This Blog